The Decimated Temple
by Darkmoose84
Summary: Gabriel and Emilie, still learning about their abilities and kwamis, travel to Tibet to search for the abandoned temple mentioned in the ancient text. What could they possibly find there?


Lhasa, Tibet. November 3rd, 1992

Gabriel Agreste walked down the long, slanted pathways away from Jokhang Temple, the ivory walls towering over him, giving him a sense of awe of how magnificent and overwhelming the structure was. His visit to the beautiful structure severed no practical purpose to his real mission to his trek to Tibet, but given that they had time before they would make the journey to their real target and that he considered himself a man of culture, he felt the need to explore the grounds. He marveled at the the arched red and gold roofs, the intricate designs within them. He smiled listening to the grounds workers singing their songs in the traditional Tibetan of which he wished he hand understood. He inhaled the cold, crisp air which had a hint of both jasmine incense and burning pine from the fires that kept its visitors warm in the freezing outdoor courtyards.

All of this was a breathtaking, surreal experience that made him wonder why he never visited before. He looked beside his thick, off-white coat into his satchel at this "Miraculous Spellbook" (as he had come to call it) and smiled at the prospect of what was surely to come soon. This was the true reason for being here. He would find the old Order's temple and see at last if the other Miraculouses were here.

He reached the bottom of the temple and walked to the sidewalk, where his chauffeur was waiting for him. After climbing into the car, he road down the street several blocks, seeing many of the townsfolk moving to and fro, a group of bicyclists speeding past them, roughly a foot away from the car window, and several groups in white masks holding up signs written in both Tibetan and Chinese script, saying "Free Tibet."

Soon, he arrived at the Tibetan Family Kitchen where Emilie, his wife of a now 1 year marriage, was waiting for him. As he walked into the restaurant, he could smell the savory scent of newly cooked vegetables and spices, all wafting out from the main door and into the street. He found where she was sitting and noticed she had already ordered for them.

"Oh, Gabriel, darling," Emilie beamed sweetly before standing up to hug and kiss him, "You must try the pork jaiozi here. It's absolutely devine!"

"It smells as such, my dear," Gabriel returned her kiss, "But are you not concerned for how healthy all of this could be?"

"Oh, don't be silly," Emilie laughed, "Everything is prepared and cooked as fresh as can be here. Besides, it was one of the top recommended restaurants in Lhasa."

"Very well," Gabriel sighed and took a place at the table, "I suppose there's no harm in trying something more exotic."

So, the two enjoyed some local cuisine; Gabriel enjoyed yak momos while Emilie had some braised chicken in sauce, with an appetizer of gyoza of course. The aromas of the sauces and spices still lingered in the air, and the pair both felt as if they would be lost in it. This was of course until Gabriel got a message on the pager attached to his belt.

It read in perfectly translated French: "This is Jonny Yu Transportation Services! Be on the east side of Lhasa very soon!"

"We must be leaving, my dear," Gabriel stated with some reluctance.

"Already?" Emilie responded, "I was really enjoying the atmosphere." Looking at her, she almost seemed fully entranced.

"I'm afraid so, my darling," Gabriel sighed, "We need to meet our transport on the east side of the city."

Thus the two paid the bill, left a generous tip, and headed via bicycle carriage towards the drop-off location for where they would meet their ultimate goal.

"And you trust this individual?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Emilie raised her arms at the elbows, "Have i ever been wrong, at least about booking?!" Just then, Duusu emerged, seeing that no one else was around.

"Well," she mused, "There was that one time…"

"As if!" Emilie laughed, "They turned out okay. Anyways, you should hide, little Duusu. He should be here any minute."

"Oh right," Duusu replied, "Sorry!" And she then flew back into the Peacock Miraculous on Emilie's jacket pocket.

in almost perfect harmony with her merging back into the pin did the large snowcat appeared. Gabriel and Emilie stood indignant in the blanket of whiteness that had fallen the night before. Soon, their chariot had arrived, and a black boot had kicked open the side door. In the driver side was a young man with long dark hair and a trucker hat.

"Jonny Yu, at your service!" the man said in perfect French.

"Thanks for showing up on time!" Emilie exclaimed excitedly.

"We're here on important business," Gabriel added with some pertinence in his voice.

"I get it," Jonny replied, "We'll get you there on time. I mean, I don't know why you want to go out to that busted up temple, but it's not my place to question."

"indeed not," Gabriel narrowed his eyes, "I trust you're able to reach the precise coordinates."

"Heck yeah!" Jonny chucked, "Just hop in, and I'll give you a ride."

The three sat in silence for a long time, save for the fact that Emilie had her face pressed to the glass window. She watched with profound enjoyment the snow-covered plains and mountain ranges that passed by them. Gabriel admired this about her; she was able to see the beauty in nature, no matter how simplistic. he knew he was a antediluvian 'stick-in-the-mud', one who searched for the formulaic aesthetic in the world of art and the humanities, and Emilie was clearly the antithesis of all of this; hers was enrapturing herself in the beauty of it without having to fully understand it. She loved life, and it was evident she wanted nothing more than to soak every last ounce of it into her Sanguine soul. She was his muse, and she represented the beauty in life he had hoped to capture in his art and clothing design. She was his everything. And he knew he wanted to start a family with her as soon as he could and as soon as she was ready and willing.

"So, Jonny," Emilie broke the silence, "been in this business long?"

"Ha!" he laughed, "only since '89! I'm actually from Hong Kong, but China lets me do business here sometimes for tourists. I spent some time over in the States as well and got my degree there."

"Your French is superb!" Emilie remarked.

"Ha, thanks," Jonny replied, "Yeah, I forced myself to learn some of the more common European languages. Just kinda had this feeling that I'd need them later for tourists."

"How far out has your business extended?" Emilie asked, starting to look out the window as the snow began to fall in a light flurry. It gave her a sense of awe and wonder, and she felt excited knowing she would be out in it soon. Gabriel of course dreaded this.

"Well, to be honest," he answered, "I'm more just trying to save money at this point, so I'm making no further expansions right now. Just want to build the business…and put some money away for the Super Famicom."

"Oh, I love Super Famicom!" Emilie exclaimed, "I'm still getting through Mario World. Gabriel enjoys Mortal Kombat on there, don't you dear?"

"I have very little time for games anymore, given my focus on work," Gabriel replied coldly, given Emilie some sense of disappointment, but then he continued with a wink, "…But Sega Genesis is better."

"Only because it has more games right now!" Emilie laughed.

"Well," Jonny interrupted, "it looks like we're at the coordinates." The couple looked out the window through the now thicker flurry of snow. Through the blanket of white, they could see what looked like a vague structure resembling a temple. "Are you both sure this is where you want me to drop you?"

"Yes, my good sir," Gabriel replied and handed him some extra cash, "And if you would, keep the motor running; we should not be long."

"Whatever you say," Jonny beamed.

The couple put on their heavy coats and exited the vehicle. It was just as dreamy as Emilie thought it would be, and just as harsh and biting as Gabriel thought it would be. The two trudged on through the thick blanket that draped the rugged ground, and endless sea of white holding the two castaways in its frozen waves. As they continued forward, they passed what looked like a vast crevice in the earth. They were thankfully cautious enough to avoid it, but Emilie felt a strong pull from it, as if some object down there related to her Miraculous' power.

Ere long, the two found themselves at the front of the dilapidated, frozen temple. The walls had bare and burnt patches, and the window shutters hung loose and clunked in the harsh wind. The main gate doors slumped over, leaving an opening through which anyone could easily pass, which Emilie and Gabriel did.

The two found themselves in a massive, snow-covered courtyard; there was a netted canopy that draped over it, causing only a slight drizzle of snow across the stone floor. Old red and gold tattered lanterns hung in a square formation from the archways of the covered sidewalks. In the center of the courtyard ground was that ancient symbol they had seen multiple times in Gabriel's book, thus giving evidence that this was indeed the correct temple.

Emilie leaped forward and spun around, enraptured with the beauty of the area.

"Come dance with me," she offered her hands to Gabriel while still swaying back and forth.

He was tempted to take her up on the offer, to take her hand and twirl with her, but his ambition and focus on the goal kept him from doing so.

"Come on," Gabriel said, "We need to stay focused and leave as soon as possible."

"Fine," Emilie replied indignantly. The two then proceeded to the far end of the courtyard towards the main temple doors, also appearing to be singed by some tremendous fires. "Does any of this look familiar, Duusu?"

"Oh it most certainly does," Duusu answered, "I remember having some fond memories with the masters here; so many trials but also so many times to reflect and have some afternoon tea. Oh, I miss the smell of jasmine tea!"

"Well, we'll get you some when we get back to the hotel," Emilie cheered her.

"Oh, thank you, Miss Emilie," Duusu chimed.

"There were many times, also," Nooroo flew out to add, "that we were allowed to fly out and view the countryside. Oh, how I missed these mountains."

"Didn't you make friends with the nicest family of yaks once?" Duusu reminisced, "I still remember what the mama yak said: 'Mooorph mooorph mooooooorph!' Such a profound statement from such a beautiful creature!"

"Indeed," Gabriel rolled his eyes, "But as stated, we need to stay focused on the mission."

They opened the large wooden doors, the centuries-old hinges creaking and echoing through the chilled, empty courtyard and inner temple, to find what looked like a well lit and well preserved open room. There was what looked like a massive alter with some large elaborate box in the center, framed by two tall iron lamps that illuminated the room. The two of them both asked themselves who could have lit these lamps before they saw what was in front of them. Kneeling before each were two large suits of armor that were positioned in such a way to look as though they were honoring whatever was in the box.

"I guess that's what we came here to find," Emilie stated.

"Wait, Emilie!" Gabriel barked, "It could be a trap!"

But it was too late. No sooner had Emilie and Duusu proceeded forward than the two guardian armors began to move on their own. They arose, now standing 12 feet tall, each carrying a large naginata and holding it at the ready. Aside from the shock, Emilie had a weird feeling for a moment, almost like a slight pull towards these two guardians, but she dismissed it, as she and her husband needed to prepare for battle.

"Duusu, spread my feathers!" she shouted and transformed into Mayura.

"Nooroo, dark wings rise!" Gabriel also shouted and transformed into Hawkmoth.

Now the two took a fighting stance and immediately had to dodge an attack from one of the armored guardians as it slammed the naginata's blade into the floor. Hawkmoth was quick to strike back, leaped upward, and clanged his cane against the armor's helmet; this seemed to have no effect.

"Mayura, look for a weakness," he yelled to his wife.

"Right," she nodded and proceeded to run up the wall and take a leap towards the opposite suit of armor, landing on the mechanical monster's back. She then began to make swipes with her fan at the nape of the ancient armor's neck, only to find that this was to no effect as well. It then grabbed her off its back and tossed her to the floor. The armor then readied its weapon and attempted to strike, Mayura rolling out of its way. Still, as she recovered, she couldn't help but feel these related to her Miraculous somehow, though not as strong as what she felt coming from the crag.

"I think this might be easier than it seems," Mayura stated, "I think these two might be two of those amok creatures I can supposedly create."

"Then perhaps you can dismantle them?" Hawkmoth asked rhetorically as he dodged another attack.

Mayura regained her footing, and as soon as she reached a safe spot, just before the iron monstrosity turned to strike at her again, she snapped her fingers and caused the armor to collapse. Two small feathers floated from the armor and disappeared.

The two transformed back into their normal selves.

"Well, that was harrowing," Emilie stated with a huff.

"And exciting," Duusu beamed.

"And easier than expected," Gabriel added, adjusting his jacket.

"I'm still learning how these amok things work," Emilie continued, but then she suddenly broke into a coughing fit that forced her to bend over.

"What's wrong, my dear?" Gabriel asked with concern.

"Nothing," Emilie took her last cough and stood back up, "I'm fine; it might just be the weather here that's getting to me."

"Well, let me know if this gets worse," Gabriel continued, "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"Don't worry, darling," Emilie smiled and put her hand on his chest in reassurance, "Everything will be okay." The couple proceeded towards the alter to investigate the box. To their surprise, while it was not empty, it did not contain the sacred Miraculouses they were seeking. Instead what they found was what appeared to be a bowl of rocks with some incense sticks burning from it, a fresh cut white orchid, and a note with something written on it in Mandarin which both of them could only partly understand. it was something to the effect of being sorry for what had happened, but they couldn't understand the context of it.

"It seems there's a watermark on the page," Gabriel noted, and he recognized it immediately. It was the logo for Le Grand Paris. "It appears to be Audrey and Andre's hotel. I'll take this back to have it translated, but I have a feeling that we may find our next clue as to where the rest of the Miraculouses are back home."

"Fantastic, Master," Nooroo chimed, "And maybe we'll at last unite again with our kind!"

"Oh, I can't wait to see everyone again!" Duusu added.

"And you know I'll help and support you, my darling," Emilie smiled and rested her hands and head on Gabriel's shoulder, "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you."


End file.
